Real Life Selkirk
**April 5** Lost & Found (1 Corinthians 15:1-5)
  • I Saw The Light
  • I'll Fly Away
  • Battle Belongs
  • Man Of Sorrows
  • The Goodness Of Jesus

  • Sermon

    Key Passage

    1 Corinthians 15:1–5 NIV
    Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.

    Vision/Mission/Process

    Vision- We exist to reach the world for Jesus, one person at a time
    Mission- We create Biblical disciples in relational environments

    Introduction

    I want to thank you for joining us today.
    Identify audience
    Some of you are very familiar faces and I see you often. I want to thank you for your consistency
    For you, Easter is a reminder of the hope we have in Jesus Christ and an encouragement that the Good News that has saved us is sustaining us
    Some of you are here occasionally
    I hope what you find today is an opportunity to grow closer to Jesus and grow closer to the church.
    Some of you may not attend church often, or ever
    First of all, I want you to notice that the walls did not in fact fall in on themselves when you walked into the room.
    You did not spontaneously combust into flames as you entered this room
    And, no one kicked you our or scowled at you or made you sit in the back.
    I remember when I was a kid, one of the churches I went to made all of the visitors stand up front so everyone would know they are new.
    We won’t make you do that either.
    It is our hope that you find a place where you are seen, you are accepted, you are loved and you will hear the truth about life, Jesus and eternity.
    Biblical foundation
    As a church at Real Life Selkirk, we have a core value of building who we are and what we believe on a Biblical foundation
    We believe the Bible is more than a book.
    More than simply wisdom
    It is the truth of God without any mixture or error.
    Because of this, we present the teachings of the Bible is a way that demonstrates their authority.
    The Bible reveals truth. If it is contrary to the way we think, then we must adjust the way we thing about things with what the Bible says
    If the Bible is contrary to our actions, then we must adjust our actions.
    I recognize that this may be a big jump for someone who has never considered that the Bible may have authority.
    If you want to know about how we get to this place, I would love to meet with you regarding the Bible as the primary source of truth in our lives.
    Today, we are reading a passage that tells us about something called the Gospel.
    I am going to break down a few points of that today.
    It is my hope that everyone who leaves this room today knows that Jesus loves them and what Jesus has done for them.

    Preaching

    1 Corinthians 15:1–2 NIV
    Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
    The author, Paul, is saying that he preached the Gospel to the people who are receiving this letter.
    He commends them for taking a stand on this Gospel. But he makes a very important point in verse two
    1 Corinthians 15:2 NIV
    By this gospel you are saved
    He says, “By this Gospel you are saved...”
    There is something about this word “Gospel” and that can save people.
    But it leaves us with a few questions.
    What is the Gospel?
    And what are these people saved from?
    In order to begin processing these questions, I want to take a journey together to a few stories that Jesus told some friends.
    Luke 15:1–3 NIV
    Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable:
    So here is the setting: Jesus is sitting down and enjoying a meal with some people.
    These people are identified as “Tax collectors and sinners”
    The Jewish culture 2000 years ago and our modern culture both have a less than positive view of taxes.
    Tax collectors and sinners were how everyone saw these people.
    They didn’t see them as fishermen, electricians, construction workers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters or parents.
    They were identified by the religious people of that time for one thing, their sin.
    The things they had done wrong were how the world saw them.
    That may have been your fear walking into church today.
    Your fear may be that you would only be seen and known by the parts of your life that are less than admirable.
    If you feel that way, Jesus has a story for you.
    Jesus proceeded to tell three stories:
    Lost Sheep
    Suppose you have 100 sheep and lose one
    Look all over until you find it
    Bring it home and throw a party
    Luke 15:6–7 NIV
    and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
    Here is the thing about a lost sheep
    It has wandered off. It is lost, disoriented, and in danger.
    In this room, we have people here who have wandered off and found themselves in a place of danger or trouble.
    You didn’t mean to. You didn’t rebel against God. You just drifted.
    Then drifted a little more and a little more.
    Then you looked around and found that you were nowhere where you want to be and all of the sudden, you find yourself in trouble.
    The Shepherd knows this and loves the sheep.
    Does this sound like a story of someone who doesn’t love the sheep? No this is a shepherd who is worried about the sheep and when the sheep is found, is overwhelmed with joy.
    Lost Coin
    Suppose a woman has 10 silver coins and loses one
    She searches her whole house
    Luke 15:9–10 NIV
    And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
    I think most of us have been in this place. Have you ever lost a check? Or lost a $50 bill out of your pocket?
    I have. I look everywhere. I tear apart my room. I go out and start digging through nasty garbage cans. I look around on the ground outside of my car.
    When I find it, I am so relieved!
    Here is the thing about the lost coin.
    The coin didn’t run off. The coin is an inanimate object.
    It doesn’t know it is lost. It is simply something valuable that is in a place that its value cannot be seen.
    There are people who do not know they are lost.
    They think life is good. They have their plans, their schedules and they have a certain amount of joy in their lives.
    In a similar way, the shepherd desperately seeks the lost and loves the lost, even if they don’t know they are lost.
    Also, does this sound like the person who found the coin is angry at the coin for being lost?
    No. There is a celebration when the coin is found.
    Lost Son
    Jesus concludes this series of stories with a third kind of lostness.
    A father had two sons, one of them wanted his inheritance
    Tell the story
    Luke 15:32 NIV
    But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”
    This third story tells of a son who rebelliously leaves his father and family.
    It is interesting because when the sheep wandered off, the shepherd went out and found the sheep
    When the coin got lost, the lady went searching for the coin.
    But when the son goes off, the father stays home
    It might not sound like it makes any sense. But think about this.
    If the father went chasing the son, the son would have ran further.
    He was trying to get away from his father.
    Something in his heart had to change and when it did, and he began walking home, his father ran to him and embraced him.
    This is another kind of person. The person who has looked at God and said, “I want no part of you.” and goes to live their own lives in spite of God
    Does Jesus still love this person? Yes.
    But this person is not accidentally lost. They ran off and got lost on their own.
    But now, this person has experienced life in a difficult way and wonders if there is a path home.
    Some have wandered off
    Some don’t know they are lost
    Some have run away
    I think we can understand that a sheep away from the shepherd is lost. A $50 bill outside of my wallet is lost. A child who runs away is lost.
    But what point is Jesus making here? Is he saying we are actually lost and we need Google maps?
    No, there is a lostness that Jesus is talking about and it is not a physical condition. It is a spiritual condition.
    Jesus identifies in this story that the sinners and tax collectors are the ones who are lost.
    There is something about sin that makes us lost.
    I want to take a moment and define sin
    Sin is one of those church words that everyone uses, but not everyone can clearly put into perspective
    HAMARTA- MISSING THE MARK SLIDE
    What this definition shows us is two things.
    First of all, there is a target. There is a mark. There is a standard
    The standard is not based on “more good things than bad things”
    Nor “What I want the standard to be”
    God created the standard when He created us.
    Genesis 1:26 NIV
    Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image
    The image of God is how we were created, and also the standard by which we were created.
    Science did not create humanity. God did.
    What is the target? The target is God’s plan for humanity and God’s holiness. Not just in our lives, but through all of creation.
    Is that picture messed up in our world? I think we can all agree that it appears to be so.
    What happened.
    Well the second part of the definition happened.
    All of humanity missed the mark.
    Romans 3:23 NIV
    for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
    This does not mean that only a few have sinned. Everyone is lost in the stories that Jesus just shared.
    Some are lost because they have aimlessly wandered off and found themselves in trouble
    Some are lost and they didn’t even realize there was a target
    Some are lost because they knew there was a target and willfully shot the arrows and missed the target.
    All have sinned
    Sin separates us from a holy God
    There is a word for this separation: death
    Romans 6:23 NIV
    For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    God is the eternal creator and sustainer of life. If we are separated from Him because He is pure and holy and we are not, we have (by definition) separated ourselves from life. There is a word for that: Death.
    We may still be alive, but the wages and consequences of sin lead to death. Eternal death and separation from God in hell.
    This is why I wanted to open up with the stories that Jesus used here:
    I think there is a view that God is looking for reasons to strike us with lightning and trying to find technicalities to send us to hell.
    But is that the case for the shepherd looking for the sheep?
    Is that the case for the woman looking for the coin?
    Is that the case for the Father waiting for his son to come home?
    Not at all.
    God loves us! He desperately wants us to experience life. He created us to live life and know Him.
    But sin separates us from that possibility.
    We got ourselves lost, but there is hope
    Our destination is not eternally separated from God. It can be restored. We can be saved.
    1 Corinthians 15:1–3 NIV
    Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
    Here is where the Good News begins
    Christ died for our sins
    The penalty for sin is ours. We were the ones who sinned. We were the ones who earned the wages of sin—death
    But Christ died in our place
    This the story of the Good News of Jesus.
    He is God and became flesh.
    He became the good shepherd who came to us, seeking to save us.
    God didn’t want to destroy the world because of sin. He came to save the world from its sin.
    Each of the stories Jesus told in our passage today end with the sheep, the coin, and the son back where they belonged.
    2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV
    God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
    Jesus took our sin to the cross and paid the penalty of death in our place
    This is love. This is grace. This is mercy.
    I like to equate this to an exchange of righteousness
    He took my sin and the consequences of my sin in exchange for His righteousness and the results of His righteousness.
    This isn’t a fair trade, but it is what Jesus offers us.
    As Jesus was sitting with “Tax collectors and sinners”, they were known for their sin and there were consequences to their sin.
    The sinners were lost.
    Jesus found the sinners and because of His mercy and grace, they were no longer sinners.
    Today, you may have come to church as a sinner. But you can leave not being defined by your sin any longer.
    There is hope for the forgiveness of sin. Not because of anything we can do. Rather because of what Jesus already did on our behalf.
    We are here today to celebrate Easter and there is a massive story of hope in the story of the resurrection.
    1 Corinthians 15:1–5 NIV
    Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.
    The guy who is writing this says later in this chapter that if we have salvation for this life only, we ought to be pitied.
    I agree!
    Jesus doesn’t give us temporary life. He gives us eternal life.
    He does impact our lives here. He came in the flesh and lived a life in the flesh so that we would see who He is in the flesh.
    This life matters.
    Eternity is greater.
    Here is the story.
    Jesus was crucified and laid in a tomb and on the third day, the stone rolled away.
    I was thinking about this fact earlier.
    There is a story after Jesus resurrected from the dead where He literally walked through a wall to meet up with His disciples.
    Jesus didn’t need the stone to be rolled away. He could have just walked right through the stone.
    Do you know who needed the stone rolled away?
    Us. We needed the door to be open to see that Jesus wasn’t in the tomb any longer.
    The tomb is empty and it was done in a way that people could see the empty tomb and see the resurrected Jesus.
    Jesus didn’t just die for our sins.
    He rose from the dead to give us hope.
    It is a hope that is eternal.
    We will be with Him for all of eternity.
    What do we do with the Gospel?
    This is the Good News of what Jesus did for us.
    Now what is our part?
    Recognize our sin
    Understand the cross is God’s invitation to you
    Give Jesus your sin and accept His righteousness
    Lord & Savior
    You will find life that is truly life
    Rope Illustration

    Conclusion

    So here’s the question.
    Which one are you?
    Are you the sheep who just drifted? Are you the coin who doesn’t even realize you’re lost? Or are you the son who ran?
    Because here’s the truth: Every one of those stories ends the same way.
    Found. Restored. Celebrated.
    That’s what Jesus came to do.
    He didn’t just die so you could feel better about life. He didn’t rise again so Easter could be a holiday on your calendar.
    He came so that you could be brought home.
    But here’s the part we can’t skip…
    The sheep has to be carried. The coin has to be picked up. The son has to turn around and come home.
    And today, you have that opportunity.
    To stop running. To stop drifting. To stop ignoring.
    And to turn to Jesus.
    Because the tomb is empty… which means the door is open… which means you can come home.
    I just want to share with you where I fit into this conversation
    I feel like I was the lost coin.
    I was lost, but I didn’t really feel lost. I grew up going to church, knowing the Bible stories and doing good things.
    It was through a series of really difficult circumstances that I started to realize that I was relying on myself and a bunch of religion. I needed Jesus.
    I look at my wife. Before I had met her, she was like the sheep. She drifted.
    Through some of the same circumstances, she found that she too was relying on herself and not Jesus.
    We both took a look at our lives and fully committed ourselves to Jesus
    The problems didn’t go away. But we were no longer alone in our problems.
    We had truth
    We had Jesus
    We had a confidence in our future
    We had the church.
    Through that, we have built a wonderful life that is built on Jesus.
    But greater than that, we have eternity with Jesus. And I want nothing more than to spend eternity with Him.

    Rope Illustration Script (Francis Chan Style – matched to your sermon)

    (Hold up a long rope. Ideally 20–30 feet if possible. Tape a short red section on the end.)
    Let me show you something really simple.
    This rope represents your existence.
    Not just your life here… but your entire existence.
    Now imagine this rope just keeps going… and going… and going… and going…
    It doesn’t stop.
    Because the Bible teaches something that is really hard for us to fully understand:
    You were not created just for 70 years. You were created for eternity.
    Now I want you to notice something.
    (Hold up the red section at the end.)
    This little red part right here… this represents your life on earth.
    70 years. Maybe 80. Maybe a little more. Maybe a little less.
    This is the part we worry about. This is the part we stress over. This is the part we build everything around.
    Money. Success. Comfort. Popularity. Reputation. How people see us. How people think about us.
    We spend our entire lives trying to make this little red part as good as possible.
    But here’s the problem.
    This little red part is not the main story.
    This little red part is the beginning of the story.
    And that’s exactly what Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 15.
    Because Paul says something shocking later in this chapter.
    He says if Jesus only gives us hope for this life…
    we should be pitied more than anyone else.
    Why?
    Because this life isn’t the point.
    Eternity is the point.
    Now think about the stories Jesus told in Luke 15.
    The sheep wasn’t just lost for a moment. The coin wasn’t just misplaced for a little while. The son didn’t just wander for a few days.
    They were lost in a way that mattered.
    And the Bible says something even more serious:
    Sin doesn’t just mess up this little red part.
    Sin affects the entire rope.
    Sin separates us from God forever.
    That’s why the Gospel is such good news.
    Because Jesus didn’t just come to make this life easier.
    He didn’t just come to reduce stress. He didn’t just come to make you happier. He didn’t just come to help you have a better week.
    Jesus came to change everything that comes after this red part.
    And here’s why the resurrection matters so much.
    Because if Jesus stayed in the tomb… then this little red part is all we have.
    But the tomb is empty.
    Jesus defeated death.
    Which means this rope doesn’t end in darkness. It ends in life.
    It ends in eternity with Him.
    That’s why Paul says:
    Christ died for our sins. He was buried. And He was raised on the third day.
    That means forgiveness is real. That means hope is real. That means eternity is real.
    So here’s the question.
    What are you building your life around?
    Are you living for this red part… or are you living for what comes after it?
    Because some people spend their whole lives chasing comfort here… and lose eternity.
    And some people surrender their lives to Jesus here… and gain eternity.
    That’s what Easter is about.
    Not just a better life.
    A new life. An eternal life. A rescued life.
    And today, you have the same opportunity the lost son had.
    To turn around.
    To come home.
    To stop living for this little red part… and trust Jesus with the rest of the rope.
    Because the tomb is empty.
    And because the tomb is empty… your future doesn’t have to be empty.
    It can be eternal.

      • 1 Corinthians 15:1–5NIV2011

      • 1 Corinthians 15:1–2NIV2011

      • 1 Corinthians 15:2NIV2011

      • Luke 15:1–3NIV2011

      • Luke 15:6–7NIV2011

      • Luke 15:9–10NIV2011

      • Luke 15:32NIV2011

      • Genesis 1:26NIV2011

      • Romans 3:23NIV2011

      • Romans 6:23NIV2011

      • 1 Corinthians 15:2NIV2011

      • 1 Corinthians 15:3ESV

      • 2 Corinthians 5:21NIV2011

      • 1 Corinthians 15:2NIV2011

      • 1 Corinthians 15:3–5ESV

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Real Life Selkirk
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